It is absolutely freezing here!   All I want to do when it’s like this is cook and bake….or read cooking magazines….or read cookbooks…..or if I can wrangle the tv away from my four year old Ryan, watch the Food Network…all food related, of course!  Speaking of cookbooks,  everyone should have a good basic, go-to cookbook for general reference.  I love The Fannie Farmer Cookbook.  You can find just about anything you need for the basics.  Mine was given to me as a birthday gift from my Mom, I think in 1992.  It has split in half and completely tattered, it’s my favorite cookbook.  I thought to write about this today because I had to go to it for reference on cooking a whole chicken….

If you don’t cook whole chickens, it’s time to start.  I see roasting chickens on sale all the time, prices range from $ .49/lb to 1.49/lb.  That’s a great deal!  I will buy a couple for my freezer and use when needed.  In addition to it being so economical, it’s one of the easiest meals to prepare, you can usually get a couple of meals out of them (especially if you roast two), and it is absolutely the most moist and tender chicken you can make.  I simply rinse the chicken thoroughly, pat dry with paper towel, rub with about a tablespoon of olive oil, and season top and bottom generously with salt & pepper…..that’s it.  Roast at 325′ for 25 minutes per pound.  Internal temperature should read 170′ or higher.  When you remove it from the oven, let it rest with a little foil over the top for about 15 minutes, then enjoy!  The skin will be crispy and the meat juicy and tender.  You can season the chicken any way you like, my friend Deb’s Brunswick Chicken stew has really gotten me hooked on smoked paprika, you could certainly sprinkle your chicken with that as well, yum!  Consider throwing baking potatoes in the oven with your chicken and a vegetable and dinner is a done deal.  EASY & DELISH! 

Of course, I recommend removing all the chicken from the bone when you’re through with dinner & store in plastic bags, label & date, and into the freezer.  (or refrigerator if you’re going to use within a couple of days)You can use that at a later date, for maybe, chicken burritos, tacos, or quesidillas?  Soup?  Chicken salad?  Chicken pot pie….endless possibilities!    Don’t forget to save the carcass, it makes for the best stock ever, you can use the recipe I posted last month for the turkey carcass.

Have a good day!

Angie

I will never forget the time I was doing some holiday shopping at a JC Penney and was in a checkout line to purchase some gifts for my boys,  and struck up a conversation with a very pretty 70 (ish) year old woman.  We began a short dialogue of small talk and we both agreed that this very special season had gotten out of hand.  She then began to reminisce of her childhood and spoke of how the treat they most hoped for was to find an orange in their stockings on Christmas morning.   She beamed when describing how incredibly delicious it was.   Foods did not travel the way they do now, fruits & vegetables were truly seasonal.   She shared with me how special it was to go to church on Christmas Eve because burning candles illuminated the Christmas tree.   They kept a bucket of water next to the tree to put out the occasional flare up.  I was very touched that a stranger would share her fondest memory of Christmas with me.   How beautiful and simple, I just love that.

My favorite Christmas memories, of course, involve food.  Every year, my Mom would make gingerbread cookies.   Nothing says Christmas like the smell of cinnamon & cloves wafting through your house.  She would outline the gingerbread men with white icing,  give him raisin eyes, a wide smile, and cinnamon candy buttons….soooooo cute!  The cookie itself is the best holiday cookie I’ve ever had.  It has a slightly crunchy exterior with a chewy interior, very, very delicious.  It is a tradition in my house to make these with my boys, we cut them out to bake and we decorate them together. My little Ryan calls them “people cookies”.   It’s great fun and we all look forward to it every year.    I would love to share that recipe with you next week, when I regain my energy from this week’s posts.  It’s never too late to start a new tradition!

Thanks for reading!
Angie

RECIPE:
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 green onions, thinly sliced
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Wet ingredients:
1 egg, slightly beaten
¼ cup canola oil
½ cup milk

1)  Preheat oven to 350’.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2)  In a medium mixing bowl, mix cornmeal through shredded cheese, make a well in center.

3)  Add all wet ingredients into dry all at once, mix until just combined.  Drop by about ¼ cup spoonfuls onto parchment paper.  Bake for 15-18 minutes.  Allow to cool on wire rack and serve

Good Monday morning to you all.  Ryan, my four year old is over the moon about waking up to see snow on the ground!  I have to say, I love it too.  I really love the change of seasons and when there is snow, it’s holiday time.  It’s time to cozy up in our kitchens and fill our homes with aromas like cinnamon and the smell of absolutely any cookie…..good times.  Anytime it is raining or snowing I feel the need to nest inside, it’s really quite wonderful.  Ok, time to snap out of it and tell you about how I should follow my own advice. 

On Saturday, I shopped, cooked, styled & photographed (Scot did the pic’s) all the recipes that will be posted this week…..what was I thinking?  The whole idea is to plan and cook ahead, the whole process took me about 7 hours…..geeze!   Anyway, I did not have to cook the Bruswick Chicken Stew, that is a delictable recipe from my sweet friend, Deb Grigg.  She was kind enough to share her recipe as well as make a serving for Scot and I to photograph.  Note to self, anyone who makes anything delicious for us to photograph must be required to supply us with many, many servings.  For creative purposes, of course.  You MUST try this recipe, she uses smoked paprika, key ingredient, your house will smell like heaven!

Expect SEVERAL recipes very shortly.  They are wonderful recipes to delight your friends and family without overdoing it in the kitchen while you are entertaining.

Happy Snow Day!!!

Angie

I grew up in a very small town in Michigan.  We didn’t live on a farm, as much as my husband likes to tease me about it, but we had a substantial garden and several amazing fruit trees.  The fruits of our labor included:  green beans, yellow (wax) beans, huge beautiful tomatoes, sweet corn, radishes, a couple varieties of lettuce, pumpkins, cucumbers, watermelon, green apples, several different squashes, red apples, cherries, & a walnut tree, which served as home plate, didn’t ever bare any fruit, I wonder why?  To this day we are very displeased with our Mom for picking that spot for a tree!  One other downside was that we had to “weed” the garden…..for 25 cents per row…..imagine how long that took to earn enough money to buy Gloria Vanderbilt designer jeans, geeze!

My Dad was a carpenter, he actually built our house (with a pretty awsome kitchen!) and my Mom, pictured above, stayed at home with us until my youngest sister Cherie was in first grade.  I also have three brothers, Rich, Steve, & Rod.  We had the most amazing childhood, we simply played.  No summer camp or play dates…simple, unorganized FUN!  We played baseball, kickball, 500, you name it.  We were outside from dawn till dusk, it was fabulous!  My Mom would ring a large cast iron bell, it could be heard from anywhere in our neighborhood, much to our chagrin, it was our signal to return to base camp.

My Mom was a “canning” machine.  Do you know what canning is?  I am not so sure that many people do it anymore, it is somewhat of a lost art.  She would purchase large amounts of fruit and vegetables, and then process them into beautiful, shiny jars filled with delictable foods that could be enjoyed throughout the winter.   We weren’t fond of canning, not because we didn’t enjoy the food, but we had to “assist” in the process.  I remember once we had to snap two bushels of green beans before we could go on vacation…..to say it was a daunting task would be an understatement!  Can you even imagine the complaining?!   Eventually we finished and we went on vacation, to this day that is discussed at huge family gatherings and laughed about!  Like most people, I have many, many memories surrounding food.

I remember the very first thing I made, on my own.  Into a cast iron skillet went about 1/2 cup of oil, sliced potatoes,  and onions.   Yes, I did burn myself.  Lesson number one, dang, hot oil smarts when it spatters on your skin!  Even though I suffered a pencil eraser sized 3rd degree burn, I was not discouraged.  I was so proud of my fried potatoes & onions!  With no food network or internet, I began to read cookbooks, a true love was born.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little snippet, I just realized that I have so much more to write about, more about me another time……wow, about me….what a foreign concept.

Thanks for reading.

Angie

Hi Everyone!

If you’re thinking about entertaining for the holidays, it’s time to pick a date and invite your guests.  I don’t know about you, but the last place I want to be is in the kitchen sweating over pots and pans while my guests are enjoying appetizers, cocktails, and titilating conversation!   I don’t mind warming up a dish or two, but come on!  I love to serve appetizers, maybe alternate between cold & hot offerings.  When guests start to arrive, put out a cold appetizer, serve cocktails, (don’t forget yourself!), you can then throw the next appetizer into the oven, don’t forget the timer.  If anyone asks to help, for God sakes, accept!  You don’t have to prove to anyone that you’re Wonder Woman, even though you are!

Everything I serve is made ahead, and I love to serve buffet style.   I’ll do something delicious that can be held in a crock pot, that way if guests arrive at different times, you’ll have something nice and hot to offer.  Keep in mind that you may have to borrow a crock pot or two from friends, depending on how many you’ll need for warming. 

Serving dishes, platters, & glassware.   I like to put a post it note on each platter with the name of the dish I’ll be serving on it, that way you won’t be searching for platters after your guests have arrived.  Think about serving desserts in glassware that you hardly ever use.   For example, I have some beautiful martini glasses.  I enjoy a martini when I go out for dinner on occasion, however, I do not feel it necessary to be serving up martinis to myself on a Tuesday evening……you get my drift.  Anyway, why not use that pretty glassware to serve an amazing dessert!  It’s made ahead & easy to serve.

Now, with all that information in mind, let’s plan a party!  Keep an eye out for next weeks “make ahead” recipes & serving ideas, I can’t wait! 

Angie

I will be posting one of my favorite soup recipes next week (you can use the stock from your turkey)   as well as yet another, knee buckling chocolate dessert….this is serious, will surely become one of your favorites!  Stay tuned….

I would like to wish you all a beautiful holiday with your friends and family.  In addition to being thankful for my family, friends, and the health of everyone I love, I am so thankful for your support.  I very much appreciate your suggestions, comments, & of course, all the positive energy you have sent my way!

I am thankful for my creative director, Scot McIntosh.  He has graciously shared his time & talent with me to create and maintain my blog, I am so grateful.

I am looking forward to sharing many more recipes,  tips, and cooking techniques.  We have so much to look forward to!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Angie

Many of us have to really juggle what to make and when because that big bird takes up so much space in our ovens. Refrigerator space could be an issue as well, consider making some of these items ahead and putting into gallon size zipper plastic bags, they will fit much easier than a large bowl. If you are in charge of most of the cooking I would recommend making the following a day ahead:

1) Pie baking & baked goods- Pies actually taste better when they sit for a day. Consider serving pies that do not need refrigeration; apple, pecan, blueberry, etc. Refrigerate pumpkin.
2) Dressing, especially if you are going to stuff the bird, remember, cold stuffing into cold bird.
3) Cranberry sauce-if you want to make the sauce, which is very simple, you could even do this two days ahead.
4) Mashed potatoes- I’m not suggesting you actually whip them a day ahead, why not peel, slice, and put into cooking pot, cover completely with water, let sit on the range over night, then add salt & boil when you’re ready. I like to have completed the potatoes 1/2 hour before guests arrive, leave in the cooking pot and cover tightly with a lid. Also drape a heavy kitchen towel over to retain heat. (of course towel away from any flame!)
5) Salad-you can make the entire salad ahead. I put all the yummies in the very bottom of the bag, top with the clean and dry greens. (instead of diced tomatoes, you could use grape tomatoes to cut down on moisture in your salad) Store in the refrigerator until you’re ready.

WHILE TURKEY IS RESTING:
Consider resting time as cooking time. For birds 16 lbs. or smaller, rest 20-30 minutes, 17 lbs. or larger rest 30-40 minutes. Remember to use a large piece of aluminum foil to “tent” or loosely cover your turkey. Your oven is free for enough time to warm the following:

6) Sweet potatoes
7) Green bean casserole
8) Dinner rolls

When you’re organized and much of the work is done ahead, it makes for a more relaxing holiday!

I’m sure you’ve already gotten the idea that I’m not a fan of processed foods. With a little planning, we can create our own convenience foods by cooking ahead and freezing. Our country, as a whole, really needs to get back to basics; wholesome, good for the body foods. Our children need to learn this as well, get them in the kitchen, they learn so much from us, we’re their best teachers. Going forward, with your well stocked pantry, I am going to give you many recipes for your own spice mixes(minus the salt, msg, & additives), recipes for homemade items such as quick cheddar biscuits, pie crust & pies (next week), endless baked goods, soup stocks, working with yeast, yes YEAST, and many entrees that will please even the pickiest eaters. Believe me, YOU can do all of these things, I am so sure of it!! All homemade, you are going to be so proud of yourselves! If you have any topic/recipe requests, please let me know! I’m working on recipes for next week as previously mentioned. Have a good day!